Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Philippines northward to Vietnam, and the Solomon Islands.
Size: 5 inches (14 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits muddy to rubble covered reef bottoms and is usually found in depths between 15 – 200 feet (5 – 60 m) and usually no more than 10 – 15 feet (3 – 5 m) above the bottom substrate where they burrow for protection. They generally live in pairs and feed on zooplankton.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade and having a slender elongated body with a blunt head. Often a silvery body with a violet-black patch on te upper head and a black spot operculum and tail. Body colors somewhat depend upon areas of collection.
Best maintained fish-only aquariums with subdued lighting, yet can also be maintained in reef aquariums, with both having low rocky crevices and caves to hide in when needing to do so. The aquarium should also have wide-open swimming areas and sandy areas to create burrows. A fast swimming fish that tends to dig under reef structures, live or inert.
If maintained with moderately aggressive tankmates, will remain in hiding during daylight hours and may not get its fair share of the food when its feeding time. If maintained with peaceful tankmates, will spend a good portion of its time in the aquarium open areas.
As to diet, products such as marine fish and crustacean flesh, clams, and other marine meaty foods should be enriched and finely chopped and fed several times daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Malacanthidae
Subfamily: Malacanthinae
Genus: Hoplolatilus
FYI: Can be kept singly or in male/female pairs.
Requires covered aquariums, as they are excellent jumpers!
May undermine structures in the aquarium.
Best first introduced into a dimly lit aquarium.
Often difficult to get feeding, and if so, fortified live adult brine shrimp, black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) or glass/grass shrimp will be necessary to get it feeding.
May eat smaller fishes and ornamental crustaceans.
Will stir the sand looking for invertebrates to eat.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: With caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 50+ gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 81°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
